Minestrone Recipe

This homemade Minestrone Recipe is packed with vibrant color and fresh flavors. The variety of vegetables and small ditalini pasta adds texture making this one pot meal a filling and delicious option any time of year.

Easy Minestrone Recipe

Minestrone is the kind of pantry ingredients soup that anyone can make. It's low calorie and filled with healthy ingredients like carrots, green beans, kidney beans and tomatoes. How do you make Minestrone? To begin, heat olive oil in the bottom of a large pot or Dutch oven. Add carrots, celery, zucchini and cook just until softened then add garlic. To the pot add seasonings and herbs, with chicken stock, crushed and diced tomatoes, kidney beans, cannellini beans and green beans. Give it a good stir, then cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, then add the pasta. Cook until dente then ladle into a bowl and enjoy.

How to Make the Best Minestrone Recipe

• Ingredients you'll need to make homemade Minestrone Soup: Carrots, onion, celery, zucchini, ditalini pasta or another small pasta, kidney beans, cannellini beans, green beans, minced garlic, olive oil, chicken stock or vegetable stock, bay leaves, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, dry Italian seasoning, dried thyme, chopped Italian parsley, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes and grated Parmesan cheese for garnishing.
• Kitchen gadgets you'll need: A large 6 quart Dutch oven or similar heavy bottomed pot, a sharp knife and chopping board, measuring cups and spoons, a cheese grater for the Parmesan cheese and large spoon for stirring.
• If you'd like to keep this soup strictly vegetarian, use vegetable stock in place of chicken stock in the same amount.
• Please note: The thickness of the minestrone soup stock may vary slightly depending on how long and vigorously it's cooked. Have 1-2 cups of additional chicken stock on hand to thin further at the end of cooking adding more to loosen up the soup to your personal taste.
• If you're unable to find ditalini pasta, you could adapt using small shells, elbow macaroni or any small tubular pasta. Should you choose a full size variety of pasta, it will take more liquid to cook.
• Store cooked Minestrone chilled in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop in a saucepan over medium heat or in the microwave in single serving portions.

More Southern Soup Recipes to Make

Being fans of soup year-round, I have many delicious options in the recipe index. More soup recipes you may also like to try:

• You'll feel like you're dining at a bistro when you make French Onion Soup at home.
• Cheddar Cauliflower Soup with Bacon is rich and hearty.
• Tex Mex Chicken Taco Soup can be topped with your favorite fiesta toppings.
• Downhome Hamburger Soup is a real family pleasing meal.
• Good for the soul Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup.
• Black Eyed Pea Soup is a tasty option for New Year's Day celebrations.
• Better than Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana.
• Coconut Curry Soup from Pinch of Yum.

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

• 6 Quart Dutch Oven
• Soup Bowls
• Ladle
• Measuring Set

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Minestrone Recipe

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy-minestrone, minestrone-recipe

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 278kcal

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup celery diced
• 1 cup sliced baby carrots
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1 medium zucchini cut into lengthwise into quarters and sliced
• 4 medium cloves garlic minced
• 1 32oz low sodium chicken stock plus additional as needed to thin
• 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 15 oz can light red kidney beans drained
• 1 15 oz can cannellini beans drained
• 1 cup frozen or fresh cut green beans
• 1 ½ teaspoon dry Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ¼-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional adjust to your taste)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 medium bay leaves
• 1 cup ditalini pasta (small tubular pasta)
• ½ cup chopped Italian parsley
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese for garnishing and toasted crusty bread for serving

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Instructions

• In a 6 quart Dutch oven or large heavy bottomed pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add carrot, celery, onion and zucchini. Cook for 6-8 minutes until softened and beginning to brown. Add garlic, cook for 1 minute longer.
• To the pot add chicken stock, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes kidney beans, cannellini beans, green beans, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, thyme, sugar and bay leaves. Cook covered over medium heat for 15 minutes.
• To the pot add ditalini pasta. Cover and cook over medium for an additional 10-15 minutes or until pasta is tender. Check thickness of soup adding additional stock to thin, if needed.
• Remove bay leaves, add ¼ cup parsley, mixing into the soup.
• Serve immediately garnished with additional parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.

Notes

The thickness of the soup stock may vary slightly depending on how long and vigorously it's cooked. Have 1-2 cups of additional stock on hand to thin further at the end of cooking, adding more liquid to loosen up the soup, if needed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 278kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 733mg | Potassium: 286mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 3278IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg

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